The Good Old Days of Radio Show

This is the final week in our mini-tribute to writer/director/producer Norman Corwin. Today we are bringing you  a special broadcast, "God and Uranium," originally aired on August 19, 1945. This historical recording showcases the commemorative writings of Norman Corwin, presented by Orson Welles and Olivia de Havilland, reflecting on VE and VJ Days and the implications of the atomic bomb. The broadcast emphasizes the end of World War II, the sacrifices made, and the need for continued vigilance and effort to secure a lasting peace, contrasting the rapid declaration of war with the slower, more complex pursuit of peace.

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Today on our shorter-than-usual episode we have a rare rehearsal recording of "The Pursuit of Happiness," a radio program written by Norman Corwin and starring Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester from December 8, 1939, showcasing Laughton's performance and even capturing a moment where he realizes he is missing script pages, providing a unique glimpse into the unscripted reality of radio rehearsal. And John tells a story about the loss of countless 1930s radio transcriptions from the CBS network. 

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Continuing our short tribute to radio writer/director/producer Norman, we present an episode of "Columbia Presents Corwin," features Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester in a Corwin comedy about Charles E. Gumpert, a seemingly ordinary man who experiences sudden, dramatic personality shifts, believing himself to be various historical figures like Niccolo Paganini, Julius Caesar, Sigmund Freud, and even Samson. These transformations lead to bizarre and humorous situations, causing chaos for his wife, Elsa, who struggles to cope with his constantly changing identities.

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Today it’s our annual Independence Day episode. This year, we are bringing you a rare chance to hear a rehearsal recording of Norman Corwin's famous "We Hold These Truths" program, originally aired on December 15, 1941, shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. This newly discovered audio was recorded two days prior to the live broadcast and features different actors in key roles, along with the notable absence of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's intended closing remarks. The program itself is a dramatic exploration of the Bill of Rights, tracing its creation and its enduring significance through historical reenactments, debates, and reflections on its continued relevance in 1941, emphasizing its role in safeguarding American liberties during a time of national crisis.

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Today in our tribute to Norman Corwin, we’re bringing you his 1939 Columbia Workshop production, "Seems Radio is Here to Stay." The broadcast is a poetic exploration of the nature and reach of radio, celebrating its ability to connect people across vast distances and its multifaceted role in society, including news, entertainment, and the work of countless individuals behind the scenes. The program features narration and excerpts of a performance, including a scene from Shakespeare's Hamlet, and emphasizes radio's capacity to bring diverse voices and content to a wide audience. 

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Today we bring you a lovely radio show from the series "Columbia Presents Corwin," in Norman Corwin's work titled "Daybreak," which stars actor Ronald Coleman. This is the second performance from July 10, 1945,  repeat of a highly regarded radio play written in the early 1940s, known for its poetic style. The central segment of the broadcast is the radio drama "Daybreak" itself, which chronicles the journey of dawn as it circles the globe, depicting various scenes and locations as daylight arrives. 

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We continue to feature programs written, directed, and produced by Norman Corwin. Today’s episode shows not only the strong poetic touch of Corwin, but integrates it with music, as sung by folk great Burl Ives. It is the historical drama and folk cantata, "The Lonesome Train," which recounts the journey of Abraham Lincoln's funeral train after his assassination. Film buffs will recognize Raymond Massey (Abe Lincoln in Illinois) reprising his iconic role of Abraham Lincoln.

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We continue our short series dedicated to writer/director/producer, Norman Corwin, with an episode of The Fred Allen Show that is not broadly in circulation, originally broadcast on May 14th, 1944, with Corwin as special guest. Allen does a satirical adaptation of the Jack and Jill nursery rhyme presented in Corwin's dramatic style. The second half of the discs were badly damaged, but worth presenting, as it is the only time we know of that Allen and Corwin ever appeared together.

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This podcast is dedicated to showcasing the very best of vintage radio, and with that effort in mind, for the next few weeks we will be highlighting the work of writer/director/producer Norman Corwin. These days he's not exactly a household name, but once you hear his work from the '30s, '40s, and '50s, you will understand why he was so influential. We're kicking things off with a Corwin program from 1939 called "So This Is Radio," which offers an in-depth look at the various roles and processes involved in creating a radio broadcast. Following this, you will get to hear these radio techniques put into practice with one of Corwin's famous radio plays "Unity Fair" from 1945, featuring Groucho Marx. 

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This is week 11 of our series dedicated to comedians on the thriller series Suspense, and we decided to extend it one more week to present an episode that is not one of the better scripts but stars one of our favorite comedian-couples Phil Harris and Alice Faye. Joining us one last time in this series is Suspense Researcher Joe Webb. There were many other comedians who appeared on the series during its long history, and you can find them all, complete with fascinating research notes (as you heard here) on Dr. Joe’s legendary blog: suspenseproject.blogspot.com

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